Thursday, October 18, 2012

OCTOBER 18: EIGHTEEN OF OUR FAVORITE VILLAINS

PINHEAD (Hellraiser series) - For a guy that wears a dress, he's pretty damn terrifying. Harvesting human souls and dooming people to torture, anguish, and a fate worse than death? Yeah, he's got the right idea when it comes to being as big a villain as it gets. ~CH

LESLIE VERNON. (Behind the Mask; The Rise of Leslie Vernon) - Who knew serial killers were so much FUN to hang around with? He is just so charming, I just wanna hug hi--oh wait, he kills people. Shit. ~MR

DEXTER MORGAN (Dexter). Someone who is a serial killer in his free time, ol' Dex has been trying for seven seasons to figure out whether or not he has a heart - and whether he actually feels anything while he is slicing and dicing his victims. It makes for a multi-layered, virtuoso performance from Michael C. Hall, and a helluva good character. ~CH

FREDDY (A Nightmare on Elm Street series) - I grew up on some Freddy, starting at perhaps an unhealthy age, and through the years we have formed a sort of bond. I love his puns and his crazy kills, and of course, his sweater. Oh, and Robert Englund's the shit.~MR

JENNET HUMFRYE. Otherwise known as The Woman In Black, this baddie can hold a grudge like no one else in horror. Be it on stage, on the big screen, or between the pages of a book, this disgruntled mama is leaving nothing but death and despair in her wake. ~CH

STUNTMAN MIKE (Death Proof) - Nothing says serial killer like virgin Pina Colada's. I don't know if I would have given the Stuntman a lap dance, but I will give him the award for most bad-ass weapon.~MR

KYUNG-CHUL (I Saw the Devil) -This dude means business. There is no rhyme or reason to his madness, he just wants to kill people. He's violent, audacious, and unbelievably cruel. Overkill is a word I would use in describing his techniques. Scary, scary guy! ~CH

BEETLEJUICE. He may be pretty repulsive but damn is he funny! I wouldn't mind living on the little model town with him and partying at that strip club. Sounds like a good time to me.~MR

GAVIN DORAN (666 Park Avenue) - Terry O'Quinn always puts his game face on no matter what he is a part of, so even though we're only a few episodes in, I'm pretty sure his character on the new ABC show is the devil incarnate. How deliciously fun! ~ CH

HANNIBAL (The Silence of the Lambs) - An intellectual and a cannibal. What a fascinating guy! He is a little off-putting though, and he looks at you like I look at candy corn and pumpkin pie.~MR

MALIFICENT (Sleeping Beauty) - Yes, I know it's a Disney film. But hot damn, she scared the ever loving shit out of me when I was a kid and she still does. Bonus: she has a raven. As a pet. She's wicked, but she rocks. ~CH

LORD SUMMERISLE (The Wicker Man) -A somewhat reserved villain, Lord Summerisle's method of getting to his victims is pretty much all words. You never actually see him killing anyone, but he is directly responsible for using that Wicker Man for the reason it was intended. And let's face it - it's the silent ones that you have to watch out for. ~CH

MICHAEL MYERS (Halloween series). One creeeeeepy guy. We are too damn scared to keep this guy out of the best baddies club. Only he can rock a spray-painted William Shatner mask and make us shriek!~MR

LOLA STONE (The Loved Ones) - Nothing says love like drilling a hole into someone's head and pouring boiling hot water into the brain. Perhaps Brent should have just went to the damn prom with her... ~CH

TATE LANGDON - (American Horror Story, Season 1) - Sensitive and sweet, adorable and alluring. If he wasn't completely psychotic and downright evil, I would let him haunt my house for as long as he wanted. ~MR

I have the same love for Tate. By the end of AHS season 1, what he did in life didn't matter anymore because he was just too damn lovable.

As for the rest of them, couldn't agree more.

Jennet has a special place in my heart though, she has haunted me since the first few pages of the Woman in Black, even before Arthur Kipps really tells the tale of the events at Eel Marsh house. Which reminds me, I noticed Susan Hill wasn't on your "best authors" list. She may not be right up there in terror, but man, does she write a chilling ghost story (or several)!

Vanessa: That episode where it showed Tate as the school shooter just broke my heart. I didn't want to think of him as so incredibly cold, aloof and psychotic. He was my fave character last season, and after watching this year's first episode of AHS: Asylum, I liked him best in this one too..can't wait to see what unfolds.

And yes, The Woman in Black is really one of my very favorite ghost stories ever written. The only reason it's not on the list is because neither Marie nor I had read anything but TWIB. She writes detective books as well as ghost stories, and I've always been going to pick up another of hers but didn't. Someday. I love ALL forms of The Woman in Black - but man, that 1989 film is a superb adaptation of the book - have you seen it?

I haven't seen 1989. I wanted to see it before 2012 but couldn't find it anywhere other than in 6 parts on youtube. (I hate watching movies on youtube.) But 1989 Jennet scares the crap out of me. The photos of her kicks 2012s ass, especially the closer shot as she gets right in Artur's face. Is 1989 closer to the book, because my disappointment in 2012 was how they made her this child killer in town, and the ending wasn't as poetic. Jennet killing Arthur's wife and son while he watched was superb. I have read six or so other Susan Hill books, the Simon Serrallier detective series is excellent, by the way.

I'm not sure how I feel about the asylum, so far. The flashes of Evan Peters' character being abducted by aliens turns me off. That, and evidence of him being another psychotic killer breaks my heart. Oh, Jessica Lange = even better than season one, if it is even possible.

Vanessa: I got the 1989 version of The Woman In Black on bootleg DVD some years ago, and I thank heavens for it all the time. It's in my top five horror films, it's just sooo good and spooky! I would have to say it does steer a lot closer to the book, as there are many ambiguous moments and at times you just have to assume things, instead of it being thrown in your face. There was very little of the "child killer in town" element in the older film, just a few hints - which again, made it much more effective in my book. And while I did love the house and location in the remake, it still can't compare to the feeling of isolation and fear that the house in the marsh gave out in the '89 version. It would probably be worth watching on YouTube for these reasons (and I know what you mean, I hate watching things on YouTube also!) - but if you can't find it anywhere else (I nabbed mine on eBay), it would still be advised to watch via YouTube.And thanks for the advice on Hill's other books, I've often wondered how they were.

And re: AHS: Asylum...I think we've not seen the best from Evan Peters yet...he's an excellent actor and I can't wait to see where they go with his storyline (though like you, I'm not a fan of the alien abduction thing....but I think he may NOT actually be the killer they say he is...I think he's perhaps innocent and in the asylum partially because he was married to a black woman, etc...)And Jessica Lange...SO extraordinarily good. Love her.

Shocks are so much better absorbed with the knees bent...

We Wrote That:

*Christine Hadden is the creator, editor, and head writer of the Rondo-nominated blog Fascination with Fear and has been an obsessed horror fan for longer than many of her readers have been alive. She can overlook movie plot holes in exchange for style and atmosphere, rejects both the 3D and found footage phenomenons, values high gore content when done right, always prefers practical effects over CGI, and has an undying love of vampires. She considers Norman Bates her homeboy and claims Jaws as her favorite film. She has written for Fangoria and Paracinema magazines, MoviePilot, and Eli Roth's horror app The Crypt. She enjoys Kentucky bourbon and red, red wine. But not together.

Contributing Writer

*Marie Robinson is an aspiring folklore expert, published writer, and obvious old soul from St. Louis, MO. She considers Roman Polanski one of her favorite directors, The Sentinel among the scariest of films she's seen, and has read both Algernon Blackwood and M.R. James - making her wise beyond her years. In her spare time, she enjoys wandering through misty cemeteries, seeking knowledge and proof of paranormal activity, and prepping her next frightening short story. Besides Fascination with Fear, she contributes to Destroy the Brain and has written for Eli Roth's horror app: The Crypt.